Haunted
by SunLover
Summary: OC is Elizabeth Saver from my "Fearless" story. How Elizabeth copes with her feelings for Don   and Don himself!   after Jess' death. NEW STORY! PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

**Character Elizabeth Saver from my "Fearless" story. Not related to that, just same character :)**

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Elizabeth stumbled to the door, dragging the duvet she pulled out of bed, behind her. She squinted through the peep-hole, sighed at the familiar sight, and opened the door. Flack was standing, half stooped over, one arm leaning on the door jam, the other clenching a beer bottle. Elizabeth opened her mouth to say her usual spiel about how it was late and how she had to be up early and how Flack couldn't keep showing up like this, but before she could, Flack lifted his head and Elizabeth noticed his eyes were glassy and blood shot. And not the typical drunken look. He had been crying.

"Don..." Elizabeth said softly, trying to make eye contact with Flack who refused to. "Don," she repeated. "C'mere." She put her arm around Flack shoulders and guided him inside.

She made Flack sit on the couch, after taking the beer bottle from his hand. She draped her duvet around Flack and sat next to him, feet curled up under herself.

"How long am I gonna be like this?" Flack asked, staring straight ahead, still a voiding any eye contact. He asked this question every night he made a stop at Elizabeth's apartment and every time the sadness in Flack's voice got Elizabeth. She always answered the same, with a gently shrug of her shoulders.

"I dunno."

Flack sunk into the couch and covered his face with his hands. "I just miss her so much. So much, you know."

Elizabeth nodded. "I do know." Elizabeth knew how Flack missed Jess so much he couldn't function normally anymore. He stopped coming to work, he stopped eating, stopped sleeping, stopped shaving. And he started drinking, staying out late, knocking on Elizabeth's door at one o'clock in the morning, talking about how much he missed Jess for hours before passing out on her couch. Every time Elizabeth patiently listened and sympathized.

"I can't believe how much I loved her, too. I didn't even realize it until she died, you know? That's what pisses me off the most. Why did she have to die for me to realize she was perfect for me?"

This part was always the hardest part of their conversation for Elizabeth to hear. She loved Flack. At least she thought she did. A series of bad timings and complicated feelings, insecurities and Elizabeth's fear of really falling in love had stalled any form of relationship between her and Flack. Then Flack met Jess. That was the end of Elizabeth and Don.

"Nothing about what happened makes sense. It probably never will..." Elizabeth told and now sleepy Flack as he began to close his eyes. She pulled the duvet up closer around him and gently nudged him over so he was semi-lying down. She stood up slowly, pulled his legs up on the couch and stood there staring as Flack began to drift off.

As she did every night, Elizabeth brushed his cheek with the back of her hand, softly. She bent down and kissed his forehead. She whispered that everything was going to be okay before creeping back into her bedroom.

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**I'd really appreciate feedback :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth was sorting through piles of papers on her desk, each containing a million unanswered questions to cases she was working on. She rubbed her eyes, and grabbed another folder. Flipping through it, she felt her phone buzz at her hip.

"Detective Saver," she said into her phone. "I'm sorry, who'd you say you were? Wait...what?" Elizabeth rubbed her eyes again and sighed. "Damnit! Okay, where are you?"

Without any second thought to notify anyone, she peeled off her lab coat, grabbed her jacket and raced for the elevators, cursing Don the entire way.

The address from the guy on the phone, took Elizabeth to an old neighborhood in East Harlem. She clenched the wheel tightly as she drove slowly down the street, trying to find a place to park. Elizabeth wasn't too familiar with this neighborhood, having only been there a few times. She knew more about it from stories she heard from detectives, none of which painted this part of the city with bright colors. Growing impatient in her search for a vacant spot, she backed into an alley and threw the truck into park. She jumped out, and slammed the door shut. She peered up at the mid-rise apartment building at the address she was given. She swallowed hard, nervous for what awaited her inside.

"Hey, lady. You, Saver?" A voice yelled from above.

Elizabeth looked up. A guy on the fourth floor was leaning out his window, long chain necklace swinging from his neck, catching light in the sun. "Yeah," she replied, using her hand to shield the sun's reflection.

"'Kay, come up. But use the fire escape. You ain't going through the front doors..."

"Wait-"

"And hide that shield. C'mon, I can see it from up here!" He disappeared into the apartment.

Elizabeth clutched at her badge. She unclipped it from her jeans pocket, and slid it into the pocket of her jacket. She tucked her gun deeper into its holster, just to be sure. She took a breath and climbed the fire escape. When she reached the fourth floor, the guy she spoke to on the phone reached out to help her in. Elizabeth hesitated for a second before she took his hand and stepped inside. She adjusted her jacket before speaking.

"Terrance, right?"

Terrance nodded.

"Where is he?"

Terrance motioned towards the bathroom. "In there. Be quick."

Elizabeth pushed the bathroom door open and saw Flack slumped over the dingy, off white bathtub. She shook her head. "Good God, Don. This is a new low." She came closer to Don, who looked up. She could see the bruises all over his face and neck, and the dried blood that had formed around his eye and lip.

"What are you doing here?" Don said, almost more of a statement that a real question.

"Terrance called me. He said, you asked him to call me."

Don scoffed. "Yeah. Like you needed to see me like this..."

"Maybe I did. Maybe I needed to see you like this, to tell you that this...has gone way too far. Who are you, Don? Where _are_ we? Why were you drunk on the subway in the middle of the day? Who were those guys that beat you up? Who is this _Terrance_ guy that supposedly saved your life?"

Don moaned in pain, from all the questions being fired at him and from the pain of his beating that was just sinking in as the whiskey was wearing off. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore!"

"Hey, keep it down in there!" Terrance yelled from the other room.

"Okay," Elizabeth told Flack, trying to hoist him up on the edge of the bathtub. "Let's go." She grabbed around his waist, causing Flack to curse aloud. "Oh, sorry. Are you sore?"

Don sat himself on the edge of the tub. "Yeah, a little."

"Are you bleeding?"

Don shook his head, as Elizabeth came closer. She lifted up his shirt. Don was bruised from the waist up on his side, all black and blue. She bit her lip. "Jesus, Flack."

Don laughed. "I wish I could say, 'ya think this is bad...ya shoulda seen the other guys...' but, I was so outta it, they got me. Good. "

Elizabeth found a washcloth in the cupboard above the sink and began to wet it with warm water. She bent down beside Flack and gently placed the cloth over the open cut close to his eye. He winced. "Sorry," Elizabeth whispered.

Suddenly there was a loud bang on the front door. "T, man, I know you're in there!" Terrance appeared at the bathroom door.

"Shut up in there for a minute, 'kay? " He told Don and Elizabeth. "Dunneven think about comin' out."

"Wait, what's going on?" Don asked.

"Shhh," Elizabeth whispered, covering Flack's mouth gently. "We're not exactly in a cop-friendly neighborhood."

Elizabeth and Don sat silently listening to Terrance and the two guys yell and swear at each other over missing money. Every once in a while, Flack would shake his head, muttering to himself about why Terrance would get mixed up with those guys, or why Terrance lied to them about one thing or the other.

"How well do you know Terrance?" Elizabeth asked, quietly.

Don shrugged, "I dunno. Well enough. He helped me out on a case once. I helped him out once. He's not a bad guy."

"I didn't say he was. He saved you, didn't he?" She looked at Flack. Her heart broke seeing him like this. In such pain, not like himself. It scared her to think that he could have been killed today, had it not been for Terrance.

Don was quiet. "You're the one who saves me...all the time and I don't understand why. No one else puts up with ...this. With me. Why do you?"

"You don't wanna know why... Just know that I do, and that I will, no matter what kinda mess you're in."

Don moved closer. Leaning in towards Elizabeth, his hand traced over her cheek; their faces, mere inches away. "I don't know if I ever told you before, but you are really-"

"You guys gotta leave, now. They're comin' back, and you guys gotta not be here. Understand?" Terrance was now standing by the bathroom door.

Elizabeth nodded, clearing her throat, composing herself again. "And, I assume we need to leave, via the fire escape?"

"You got it, lady."

Elizabeth smiled. "This one over here," she pointed to Flack, who was slowly trying to stand upright, "isn't exactly too mobile."

Terrance raised his arms, clearly aggravated.

"Okay, yeah, fine. We'll manage." Elizabeth ushered Flack towards the window and helped him out and over the rail. She guided him down the stairs and into the truck. Elizabeth drove Flack home, tucked him into his bed.

"Where are you going?" Flack asked, barely audible, his face buried in the pillows.

"Back to work. I didn't get anyone to cover for me, so I'm pretty much MIA. I'll call you later to make sure you're still doing okay...and that you don't need to go to the hospital..." As she spoke, she heard Flack lightly snoring. She brushed his cheek with her hand softy, kissed his forehead lightly and told him everything was going to be okay.

**I'd really like to know what you thought. Good or bad :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who made this one of their "favorites" and put it on their "alerts"! **

It had been two days since Elizabeth rescued Flack from Terrance's. Elizabeth had called Flack the day after like she said she would to make sure he was okay. He was, he had told her, and they talked briefly. That night though, there was no knock at Elizabeth's door in the middle of the night for the first time in weeks. She didn't sleep well that night, secretly hoping Flack would appear at her door. He was drunk, messed up, and still in love with his dead girlfriend, but he was still Flack, and Elizabeth still liked looking after him. She liked to be the one he went to when he needed someone.

Tonight, as Elizabeth struggled to fall asleep, she heard a soft knock on the door. She bolted up out of bed and raced to the door. Sure enough, it was Flack. She opened the door and ushered him inside.

"Do you want some water, or coffee or anything?" Elizabeth asked, going over the familiar routine. Flack took an uneasy seat on the couch. He shook his head.

"I'm just really tired, ya know? I just feel like sleeping..."

"Okay, yeah." Elizabeth handed Don a blanket draped over the back of the couch. Don thanked her and snuggled down under it, immediately closing his eyes. Elizabeth stood staring at Don for several minutes. Then just as she was about to say something, Don began to gently snore.

Elizabeth sighed, angry. She wanted to talk. She wanted to see how he was, where we was, emotionally. She wanted to help him get out of this grief stage. She wanted him to ask her opinion, even if it was the same question every time. She wanted any part of Flack she could get, and if drunken conversations about his girlfriend who passed away were all she could get, she wanted it. Maybe that wasn't fair, but she didn't know what was anymore. She sighed again, fully realizing Flack was fast asleep. She padded back to her bedroom.

A huge crash woke Elizabeth up hours later. She sat up, remembered Flack had stayed the night and crawled out of bed to go see what was going on. She found Don in just his boxers, dish towel over one shoulder, in her kitchen. He had his back to her, frying something on the stove.

"Don?"

"Oh, hey, babe," Flack replied, still not turning around. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you...I dropped a plate and a few forks. Don't worry nothing broke, I promise. I was gonna make you breakfast in bed...eggs, bacon, the whole deal...so go back to bed, babe...and...I'll bring it to you..."

"Don!" Elizabeth said, louder. "What the hell?" Her kitchen was a mess, plates, bowls, dishtowels everywhere. Every single cupboard was open along with a few drawers. Flack was now sprinkling pepper on whatever he had cooked in the frying pan.

"I know, I know, it's messy! I'm gonna clean it, honestly. Go back to bed, Jess, you're eggs are almost ready."

"I hate eggs! And I'm not Jess!" Elizabeth screamed. She immediately took it back. She didn't mean to scream, but it has just escaped. Her outburst was probably a combination of more than just what was happening right in front of her.

Don slowly wiped his hands on the towel he had, and turned around.

"Don, I'm sorry," Elizabeth began, "I have no idea what's going on or why you thought I was Jess..." Don took a few steps towards a stool, and took a seat, perched on the edge.

"I don't know either. I had a bad dream...well, a good dream, really, where Jess was still alive and I woke up thinking it would be nice to have her here...again. I used to make her breakfast in bed all the time... ya know, when we had the time...when we weren't workin'...all that..." He stopped and let his head fall into his hands.

"It's alright, Don. Don't worry about it. I understand." Elizabeth came closer, about to wrap her arms around Don in a comforting hug, when Don spoke.

"Do you?" Don said, really questioning Elizabeth's sincerity. "It's so hard to lose someone you love, so suddenly... it's painful-"

"I know it's painful and it's hard! I do. You tell me every night how much pain you are in and how no one understands like you do. I may not have loved Jess like you did, but I miss her. I grieved for her, we all did! Her death left me a wreck for weeks! I think we're all different because of her death. It touched all of us, Don! You act like no one understands or cares, but we do! We're just all sick of you screwing off, doing your own thing, getting drunk every night and not caring at all. About anything!"

"You obviously aren't sick of me...why would you keep letting me in to crash on your couch every night if you were sick of me, huh?" Don stood up, and began searching for his clothes in the living room. He found his shirt and pulled it over his head.

Elizabeth rubbed at her temples, sighing. "What else was I supposed to do? Ignore you? Let you sleep it off in the streets? C'mon, Flack..."

Flack began tugging on his pants, losing his balance ever so slightly. "No, seriously. Why do ya keep coming to my rescue, huh? You say you're tired of me acting the way I do, and that it's gotta stop and all that, but you're just encouragin' it, by basically, welcoming me in every night. I don't understand it."

"Jesus, Flack! Just go!" Elizabeth motioned towards the front door as she stepped into the kitchen to attempt to clean up. She had had enough.

"Oh, now, you want me to go..." Flack mumbled as he searched for his wallet under the couch cushions and under the coffee table.

Elizabeth ignored his comment and began throwing all the dishes into the sink she was filling with hot water.

Flack found his wallet and was on his way out when he stopped and turned around. He could hear the sound of dishes softly clinking together, and Elizabeth gently sniffling back tears.

"Liz. Seriously. I thought you were all about tough love. So much for that..."

Elizabeth didn't answer; she kept her focus on the dirty dishes. A tear had escaped and ran down her cheek, but she let it fall, dropping into the soapy dish filled sink.

Don sighed. "If it's not tough love, then what is it?"

Again, Elizabeth didn't reply out loud, but in her mind she was thinking, _love._ It was just plain, good old-fashioned love that made Elizabeth do what she did for Flack. Nothing else could explain it.

**Please let me know your thoughts :)**


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